June 11, 2021, Filed Under: cancer, learning, reflections, researchReflection: Emperor of All Maladies During the summer REU the other students and I are reading The Emperor of all Maladies book which covers a general biography of cancer. We are also participating in a weekly book club to discuss what we are learning from the book, how it relates to our research in the program, and how we can continue to improve cancer research based on what has already been done. This book does a good job tying the history of cancer research into patient and doctors’ stories to give a more personalized account on how the war on cancer affects us all. This week we discussed the first few sections of part 1 of the book. In this discussion we talked about the importance of disease naming, mental health in patients with complex disease, changes in ethics codes throughout the past century, and the politics of science. In disease naming we talked about ensuring that no discrimination is brought about by the naming of a disease. Most recently with people calling COVID-19 the “Chinese Virus” we have seen racist actions toward Asian communities in our nation. This is a prime example of the importance of naming a disease in an inclusion non-discriminatory way that ensures clear communication about what the disease is. We also discussed the importance of doctors providing resources for mental health options and support groups when battling complex diseases such as cancer. Mental health and optimism have a great impact on overall outcome of the patient, so it is important that these resources are discussed and are not stigmatized. Our group also communicated about how in the past scientists could immediately test their theories on actual patients and even children, but today we have much stricter codes of ethics and laws to protect patients and require lots of lab testing and clinical trials before making a treatment available to the public. These codes and laws have changed the way we improve treatment and while it is much slower to get a form of treatment out to patients it ensures safety and patient protection. In politics of science, we discussed how these lab tests and clinical trials are funded and how science is much more political than one would imagine as much of science is government funded. If a certain administration does not think that researching cancer is of the utmost importance, they can choose to move that funding toward something else. In the 1940s when cancer research funding was becoming important in America, WWII hit and funding for cancer was put into the war effort. It took a long time for cancer funding to start back up again after the war and this stall could have resulted in us being behind in the war against cancer. All of these discussion topics will continue to be important for each of us in our scientific and engineering careers as we work to bring equitable, life-saving treatment and innovations to patients and civilians throughout the world. I am looking forward to continuing to read The Emperor of all Maladies and our future group discussions about the history of cancer, complex disease, and patient care and outcomes. -Leah Gutzwiller | University of Tennessee Knoxville
July 22, 2019, Filed Under: 2019, cancer, research, texas4000Letter to Texas 4000 Rider: Diana Zhang (Rockies Route) Dear Diana, My name is Jubin George, and I am currently a rising sophomore from the University of Arizona. Currently, I am at the University of Texas at Austin for the summer researching tumor spheroids and ways to image them. While looking through the profiles of the different riders, I was able to relate to something that you mentioned in yours. Fortunately, just like you, I have never had to deal with any of my immediate family members getting affected by cancer. Unfortunately, this doesn’t mean that I have been totally immune to the effects of cancer. During my senior year, my English teacher was also diagnosed with breast cancer. A friend of mine lost her mother to lung cancer about 6 years age. Seeing her and her sister having to deal with their mom’s death was heartbreaking. I still remember thinking what I can do to help. Cancer appears to be such huge obstacle and even today, it sometimes makes me think if I could even make a difference. This is where you and Texas 4000 come in. Knowing that I am not alone in this fight against cancer gives me hope. It makes me realize that we are all in this together. And for that, I thank you. Ultima IV 2-Photon Microscope, the microscope I’m using to image spheroids Right now, it looks like you are in Smithers, British Columbia. I wish you good luck for the rest of your journey and hope that you finish strong and safely. And again, I want to say thank you for making me and numerous others realize that we are not alone in this fight. -Jubin George, University of Arizona Diana Zhang is a 2019 Texas 4000 rider currently rider from Austin to Anchorage with the Rockies Team
July 12, 2019, Filed Under: 2019, cancer, learning, researchDeliberate Practice Mastering any skill takes practice. As I continue to learn new things this summer, I have been thinking about how practice actually affects the inner workings of our brain and behavior. In our latest seminar class, we were introduced to the book Peak: Secrets from the New Science of Expertise by Anders Ericsson and Robert Pool where the authors discuss how there is power in purposeful practice. Repetition and effort are definitely key ingredients as we strive to improve our research skills, but pairing those along with deliberate practice can help us progress even more. Two of the points from the book that resonated with me are that deliberate practice requires full attention, and it requires feedback. We have to be engaged with our work. If a basketball player practices shooting hoops for hours but doesn’t think about his shooting form, it will be very difficult for him to improve. The same concept can be applied to our work in the labs. On the surface level, lab protocols may appear to be repetitive because there are many fundamental parts to it–passaging cells, counting cells, preparing well plates, etc. However, that is far from reality as the environment is filled with exciting scientific puzzles waiting for us to research and solve. I have an opportunity to work in lab each day and observe patterns, record results, and think about new methods to improve the experiment. The second point mentions how the best improvements are made when feedback is involved. This is highly applicable to my research experience here this summer. I am very grateful for my mentor, Susy, as she has taught me numerous aspects about researching and working with cells, guiding me throughout this entire learning process. Pictured above are some of the supplies needed to passage cells inside the fume hood. Practicing with a purposeful mentality will lead us toward improvement over time. We don’t have to come into research with a considerable amount of subject expertise, but with an optimistic mindset and working smart to achieve a high standard, we can further enhance our research experiences. As we enter into our seventh week of research, my friends and I are nearing the final stretch, and I know we will make the most of it! The cancer research field is so complex, but with deliberate practice, I believe that we can continue learning more about the disease and potential methods to prevent and treat it in the future. -Jaime Chen, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
